Anna's anti-corruption movement has served its purpose: PM

On Board Special,
Thu, 20 Oct 2011ANI

On Board Special Aircraft, Oct 20 (ANI): Assuring the enactment of an effective Ombudsman Bill, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that social activist Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement has served its purpose, and added that corruption cannot flourish as a way of life in the country.

He said this while interacting with mediapersons on Wednesday on a flight back to India after attending the India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) summit in Pretoria, South Africa.

Singh said without criticizing anyone he believes that Hazare has done his best as a social activist.

"I won't like to use this opportunity to criticize any one individual, I think Anna Hazare movement has served its purpose, I think we are all working to ensure to have an effective Lokpal (Ombudsman) bill in parliament and that it is our expectation that parliament will vote for an effective bill that will be an assurance to the people in large that corruption cannot flourish as a way of life in our country," said Singh.

Meanwhile, he also condemned the recent assaults on Hazare's close aides, Prashant Bhushan and Arvind Kejriwal.

Members of certain radical outfits roughed up Bhushan two days ago at New Delhi while he was interacting with the reporters of a private television channel outside the apex court premises.

He was pulled out of his chair, slapped, dragged and repeatedly punched in the vicious attack.

A day earlier a person identified as Jitendra Pathak had hurled a slipper at Kejriwal in Lucknow city of northern India's Uttar Pradesh at which the supporters of India Against Corruption cornered and handed him over to the police who detained him.

Commenting on senior leader of India's main opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), L. K. Advani's chariot procession, Singh said that Advani should refrain from using insensitive language against other leaders and issues.

"Well it is for the people of India to decide and on the foreign soil I'm not going to criticize any national leader, I wish Mr Advani (senior leader of India's main opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party) a successful Yatra and I would hope he would use language at times which appears to be intemperate, I think in politics its better to avoid harsh words," said Singh.

Advani kicked off his nationwide tour from Sitab Diara village in the eastern Bihar state on Tuesday (October 11) that will cover 23 states and four Union Territories, which will see him traverse over 7,600 kilometres.

He had organised a similar Yatra (procession) in 1992, to mobilise people towards building a temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Rama, in Ayodhya city of northern Uttar Pradesh state.

In 2004, he had again undertaken another chariot procession as he reiterated his demand to build the temple. By Naveen Kapoor (ANI)